MARIA MINERVA

Chapter 6

The carriage rattled along the dirt road, its wheels bouncing over the uneven ground. Inside, Maria lay huddled in a corner, her body bruised and weak from the struggle, but her spirit remained unbroken. The men had bound her wrists tightly, but the pain in her heart far outweighed any physical suffering. Her thoughts were filled with Miguel—his desperate cries, the way he had fought for her. But now, all she could see was darkness.

Her captors had spoken little, their faces cold and indifferent as they carried out Don Sebastian's orders. It didn't matter to them what happened to her. She was simply an obstacle—someone who had to be removed to protect the honor of their master's family. But Maria knew better. She had heard the whispers in town, the fear in people's voices when they spoke of Don Sebastian. She knew that mercy was not in his nature.

As the hours dragged on and the night deepened, Maria's strength began to wane. Her body ached, and every breath was a struggle. But in her mind, a fire still burned—a fire of rage and betrayal. Her love for Miguel had been torn apart by his father, by the cruelty of a family that saw her as nothing more than a stain on their name. She had been wronged in the worst way, and she would not let it go unanswered.

Maria (weakly, whispering to herself, her eyes burning with hatred): "They will pay... for everything."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but the venom in her words was unmistakable. She could feel the life draining from her, her body succumbing to the injuries she had sustained. But even as death approached, her will remained unshaken. She would not go quietly. Not without leaving her mark on the world, on the family that had destroyed her.

Maria (with growing intensity, gasping through her pain): "I will make them suffer... even if it takes me a lifetime... or longer."

Her breathing became more labored, but she forced the words out, her mind clinging to the vision of Don Sebastian's cold eyes, the men's mocking faces. She saw Miguel's face too—his sorrow, his helplessness. He had loved her, but love hadn't been enough to protect her from the cruelty of his family.

Maria's heart burned with fury as she spoke her final vow.

Maria (her voice low and filled with malice): "I curse them... every one of them. The De La Cruz family will suffer for what they've done. Their bloodline will know nothing but misery and loss... until the end of their days."

Her words seemed to hang in the air, heavy and thick, as if the very forces of nature had taken notice of her curse. The wind outside the carriage howled suddenly, the trees rustling violently as though the world itself had acknowledged her anger.

She could feel it—a dark power swirling inside her, as though her pain had summoned something ancient and terrible. Her curse was no mere empty threat. It was born from the depths of her broken heart, fueled by her rage and despair. She had been wronged in life, but in death, she would have her vengeance.

Maria (her voice barely a whisper, but filled with certainty): "Their children... their children's children... they will know my suffering. The curse will follow them, until the last of their bloodline is gone."

With those final words, Maria's body collapsed, her strength finally giving out. The last breath left her lips, but her eyes remained open, fixed on the dark night beyond the carriage window.

Her spirit, however, did not fade. As her body grew cold, the curse she had uttered took hold, embedding itself into the very fabric of the De La Cruz family's fate. From that moment on, the curse was set in motion, like a shadow cast over Miguel's family, unseen but ever-present.

As the carriage traveled deeper into the wilderness, the men inside were unaware of the dark spell that had been woven in their midst. They thought Maria was merely a girl who had caused trouble for their master. They didn't realize that in her dying breath, she had sealed the fate of the De La Cruz bloodline for generations to come.

Driver (glancing back, speaking carelessly): "Looks like the girl's finally quieted down. Good riddance."

But something stirred in the air around them—an unseen force that had been unleashed by Maria's final curse. The wind picked up once more, swirling through the trees as if it carried her spirit with it.

Back in town, Don Sebastian sat in his grand estate, unaware that his family's fate had just been sealed. He believed that removing Maria would solve everything—that his son would eventually forget her and move on with the life that had been planned for him.

But Maria's curse would soon prove otherwise.

And so, the curse began. Over the years, strange misfortunes would strike the De La Cruz family. Loved ones lost under mysterious circumstances, marriages broken by tragedy, wealth squandered by unseen forces. No matter how far they rose, no matter how powerful they became, there would always be an invisible shadow over their legacy.

Maria's vow of revenge would echo through the generations, each member of the De La Cruz family carrying the weight of her curse until the last of their bloodline was extinguished.

In her final moments, Maria Minerva had become more than a woman scorned. She had become a force of vengeance, an unstoppable curse that would haunt the De La Cruz family... until the end of time.